The History of Friends of Colombia

Friends of Colombia (FOC) first began to form in 1988 when Tom Bauder, a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) from one of the earliest volunteer cohorts, gathered other Colombia RPCVs who were attending the 25th anniversary of the Peace Corps in Washington D.C. This gathering initiated a chain reaction of letters, phone calls, and informal meetings that slowly led to the creation of the organizational by-laws, allowing Friends of Colombia to be incorporated in Maryland as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in December 1990.

The creation and initial growth of FOC was led by Tom and fellow RPCVs Bob Colombo, Pat Wand, Ruth Ann Gieser, and Gale Gibson. In 2001, Arleen Cheston was elected to replace Bob as board president, and Arleen and fellow RPCV Pat Wand, along with several others, took FOC into a new direction through the sponsorship of community-based projects and organizations in Colombia. FOC was also instrumental in reestablishing the Peace Corps in Colombia in 2010.

Peace Corps in Colombia Timeline